Quebec has finally reached an agreement with the union representing 1,800 engineers employed by the government, ending their strike.
Posted at 12:37 p.m.
Marc-Andre Martin, president of the Professional Association of Government Engineers of Quebec (APIGQ), confirmed the information in an interview with The Canadian Press on Tuesday. The two ministers involved, Sonia Lebel in the Treasury Board and François Bonnardel in Transport, were delighted by the decision.
So the third strike started by APIGQ ended on Tuesday noon.
Earlier, these engineers had quit for the first time since April 22 and for the second time since April 1.R June, then for the third time from June 21. Between each strike, the parties resumed discussions without reaching an agreement.
This time, talks resumed late last week and then continued from Monday afternoon to Monday night into Tuesday. This time is perfect.
“It’s a global contract, complete, term and salary,” Mr. Martin said. He declined to divulge further details as his constituents were not informed of the content of the agreement in principle.
Members will be invited to vote during a virtual meeting on Thursday.
Remuneration was the center of controversy regarding the classification of these engineers. Quebec wanted to create a senior engineer classification, but the parties disagreed on how to define it, on what parameters and who could use it.
Negotiations were difficult. On June 21, Sonia Lebel, president of the Treasury Board, pointed out that Quebec was in its 10th place.e Provides to the Union of Engineers.
Mr. Martin says he is satisfied with that. “A good negotiation ends when each party feels like they’ve given up a big piece,” he says.
Recognized importance, says Quebec
“Important work has been done by both sides in recent weeks to reach this agreement in principle and I would like to thank them. I also want to underline the importance of the work of government engineers that allow us to implement various infrastructure projects for Quebecers,” Minister Lebel commented in a press release.
“I am confident that this agreement will be useful for state engineers. This will help them to catch up significantly and ensure competitiveness in the labor market. Engineers play a fundamental role in the economy and the proper functioning of our workplaces, and I would like to thank them for their work,” commented Minister Bonnardel.
APIGQ represents 1,800 engineers employed by the government, including 1,200 employed by the Minister des Transports. Others are employed by the Ministry of Environment and then by other ministries.
The strike also had ramifications for civil engineering and road construction sites under the jurisdiction of the Quebec government, as government engineers were supposed to supervise these sites. To the chagrin of the construction contractors involved, there was a delay.
